EP0910082A2 - Disque de stockage d'informations, appareil de reproduction et procédé de reproduction - Google Patents

Disque de stockage d'informations, appareil de reproduction et procédé de reproduction Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0910082A2
EP0910082A2 EP98119387A EP98119387A EP0910082A2 EP 0910082 A2 EP0910082 A2 EP 0910082A2 EP 98119387 A EP98119387 A EP 98119387A EP 98119387 A EP98119387 A EP 98119387A EP 0910082 A2 EP0910082 A2 EP 0910082A2
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
cell
audio
silent
system stream
reproduction
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
EP98119387A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP0910082A3 (fr
EP0910082B1 (fr
Inventor
Yoshihiro Mori
Masayuki Kozuka
Masatoshi Shimbo
Tadashi Abe
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Panasonic Holdings Corp
Original Assignee
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co Ltd
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Filing date
Publication date
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Priority to EP01104565A priority Critical patent/EP1126455A3/fr
Publication of EP0910082A2 publication Critical patent/EP0910082A2/fr
Publication of EP0910082A3 publication Critical patent/EP0910082A3/fr
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0910082B1 publication Critical patent/EP0910082B1/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
    • G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
    • G11B20/00—Signal processing not specific to the method of recording or reproducing; Circuits therefor
    • G11B20/10—Digital recording or reproducing
    • G11B20/12—Formatting, e.g. arrangement of data block or words on the record carriers
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
    • G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
    • G11B19/00—Driving, starting, stopping record carriers not specifically of filamentary or web form, or of supports therefor; Control thereof; Control of operating function ; Driving both disc and head
    • G11B19/02—Control of operating function, e.g. switching from recording to reproducing
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
    • G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
    • G11B20/00—Signal processing not specific to the method of recording or reproducing; Circuits therefor
    • G11B20/10—Digital recording or reproducing
    • G11B20/10009—Improvement or modification of read or write signals
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
    • G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
    • G11B20/00—Signal processing not specific to the method of recording or reproducing; Circuits therefor
    • G11B20/10—Digital recording or reproducing
    • G11B20/10527—Audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
    • G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
    • G11B20/00—Signal processing not specific to the method of recording or reproducing; Circuits therefor
    • G11B20/10—Digital recording or reproducing
    • G11B20/12—Formatting, e.g. arrangement of data block or words on the record carriers
    • G11B20/1217—Formatting, e.g. arrangement of data block or words on the record carriers on discs
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
    • G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
    • G11B20/00—Signal processing not specific to the method of recording or reproducing; Circuits therefor
    • G11B20/10—Digital recording or reproducing
    • G11B20/12—Formatting, e.g. arrangement of data block or words on the record carriers
    • G11B20/1217—Formatting, e.g. arrangement of data block or words on the record carriers on discs
    • G11B20/1251—Formatting, e.g. arrangement of data block or words on the record carriers on discs for continuous data, e.g. digitised analog information signals, pulse code modulated [PCM] data
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
    • G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
    • G11B27/00—Editing; Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Monitoring; Measuring tape travel
    • G11B27/10—Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
    • G11B27/102—Programmed access in sequence to addressed parts of tracks of operating record carriers
    • G11B27/105—Programmed access in sequence to addressed parts of tracks of operating record carriers of operating discs
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
    • G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
    • G11B27/00—Editing; Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Monitoring; Measuring tape travel
    • G11B27/10—Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
    • G11B27/19—Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel by using information detectable on the record carrier
    • G11B27/28—Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel by using information detectable on the record carrier by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording
    • G11B27/30—Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel by using information detectable on the record carrier by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording on the same track as the main recording
    • G11B27/3027—Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel by using information detectable on the record carrier by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording on the same track as the main recording used signal is digitally coded
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
    • G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
    • G11B27/00—Editing; Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Monitoring; Measuring tape travel
    • G11B27/10—Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
    • G11B27/19—Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel by using information detectable on the record carrier
    • G11B27/28—Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel by using information detectable on the record carrier by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording
    • G11B27/32—Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel by using information detectable on the record carrier by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording on separate auxiliary tracks of the same or an auxiliary record carrier
    • G11B27/327—Table of contents
    • G11B27/329—Table of contents on a disc [VTOC]
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
    • G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
    • G11B20/00—Signal processing not specific to the method of recording or reproducing; Circuits therefor
    • G11B20/10—Digital recording or reproducing
    • G11B20/10527—Audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements
    • G11B2020/10537—Audio or video recording
    • G11B2020/10592—Audio or video recording specifically adapted for recording or reproducing multichannel signals
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
    • G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
    • G11B2220/00—Record carriers by type
    • G11B2220/20—Disc-shaped record carriers
    • G11B2220/25—Disc-shaped record carriers characterised in that the disc is based on a specific recording technology
    • G11B2220/2537—Optical discs
    • G11B2220/2562—DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to an information storing disk for storing a system stream, and an apparatus and a method for reproducing the system stream from the information storing disk.
  • the present invention relates to an information storing disk for allowing a plurality of reproduction apparatuses having different levels of performance, such as data processing speed, to have the same wait time before the reproduction of the system stream starts, and an apparatus and a method for reproducing the system stream from the information storing disk.
  • CDs compact disks
  • LDs laser disks
  • a CD is an optical disk having a diameter of 12 cm and stores digital data obtained by encoding music information using an encoding technology referred to as linear PCM. CDs have been utilized as a medium for storing digital data for music applications.
  • An LD is an optical disk having a diameter of 30 cm and stores moving picture information, along with audio information, in the form of analog signals. LDs have been utilized as a medium for storing analog data for video applications such as movies.
  • optical disks Recently, new types of optical disks have been introduced.
  • One of such new types of optical disks is an optical disk having a diameter of about 12 cm which realizes long-time recording/storing and a sufficiently high quality by efficient compression of music information and/or moving picture information including audio information.
  • Another type of optical disk has a file structure with which data transmission with computers and communication devices is performed relatively easily.
  • an information storing medium which realizes storing and reproduction of audio data with a higher quality than compact disks have been demanded.
  • an optical disk in conformity with the DVD-Video format have been developed and implemented.
  • Such an optical disk realizes storing and reproduction of audio data of a high quality of linear PCM, 96 kHz ⁇ 24-bit sampling.
  • the DVD-Video format it is impossible to reproduce high quality linear PCM multi-surround audio information or higher quality audio information.
  • High quality audio data contains a large amount of data and thus requires a high data transfer speed of audio data.
  • the present inventors have found, through many years of research and development on optical disks for storing high quality audio data, that the wait time before the start of reproduction of high quality audio data causes various problems.
  • the wait time is required, which is the time period from when one system stream to be reproduced among one or more system streams stored on the optical disk is determined until the reproduction of the one system stream is started.
  • the wait time is also referred to as the "start-up period".
  • the start-up period includes time period T s , time period T c , and time period T m .
  • Time period T s is a period required for the reproduction apparatus to seek to the position, on the optical disk, storing the audio data.
  • Time period T c is a period from when the audio data is input to a decoder until the first correct decoded audio data is output from the decoder.
  • Time period T c includes a period for adjusting output timing of a system stream with reference to a PTS (Presentation Time Stamp) included in the system stream and a period for examining whether or not the audio data included in the system stream is correct.
  • Time period T m is a period for transition of a muting circuit in an analog output section from a mute state to a non-mute state.
  • the start-up period is further extended because adjustment of the output timing based on the PTS and the examination on whether or not the audio data is correct need to be performed separately.
  • the inter-tune interval of an optical disk varies in accordance with the reproduction apparatus used.
  • disk creators cannot uniformly set the inter-tune interval, which is significantly disadvantageous to the disk creators and users.
  • an information storing disk includes at least one system stream stored thereon.
  • the at least one system stream includes a silent cell for defining a silent period and an audio cell for defining audio data to be reproduced after the silent period.
  • the silent period is a period to be silent, which is from when one system stream to be reproduced among at least one system stream is determined until reproduction of an audio cell included in the one system stream is started.
  • the silent period includes a period required by a reproduction apparatus after one system stream to be reproduced among at least one system stream is determined until reproduction of the one system stream is started.
  • the information storing disk further includes information indicating the order of reproducing a plurality of system streams.
  • the silent period is a period to be silent, which is from when reproduction of one of the plurality of system streams is terminated until reproduction of an audio cell included in the next system stream is started.
  • the silent cell and the audio cell each include audio data encoded in an identical encode mode, and an output level of the audio data included in the silent cell is substantially zero.
  • the system stream includes a time stamp for defining output timing at a prescribed interval, a presentation period of the audio cell is determined based on a difference between a first time stamp and a final time stamp included in the audio cell, and the silent period is determined based on a difference between a first time stamp and a final time stamp included in the silent cell.
  • a reproduction apparatus for reproducing information stored on an information storing disk.
  • the information storing disk including at least one system stream stored thereon.
  • the at least one system stream includes a silent cell for defining a silent period and an audio cell for defining audio data to be reproduced after the silent period.
  • the silent period is a period to be silent, which is from when one system stream to be reproduced among at least one system stream is determined until reproduction of an audio cell included in the one system stream is started.
  • the reproduction apparatus includes a reading section for reading a system stream to be reproduced among the at least one system stream stored on the information storing disk, and a reproduction section for reproducing a part of the silent cell and reproducing the audio cell, from a point in the silent cell included in the read system stream.
  • the silent period includes a period required by a reproduction apparatus after one system stream to be reproduced among at least one system stream is determined until reproduction of the one system stream is started.
  • the information storing disk further includes information indicating the order of reproducing a plurality of system streams.
  • the silent period is a period to be silent, which is from when reproduction of one of the plurality of system streams is terminated until reproduction of an audio cell included in the next system stream is started.
  • the silent cell and the audio cell each include audio data encoded in an identical encode mode, and an output level of the audio data included in the silent cell is substantially zero.
  • the system stream includes a time stamp for defining output timing at a prescribed interval, a presentation period of the audio cell is determined based on a difference between a first time stamp and a final time stamp included in the audio cell, and the silent period is determined based on a difference between a first time stamp and a final time stamp included in the silent cell.
  • a reproduction method for reproducing information stored on an information storing disk includes at least one system stream stored thereon.
  • the at least one system stream includes a silent cell for defining a silent period and an audio cell for defining audio data to be reproduced after the silent period.
  • the silent period is a period to be silent, which is from when one system stream to be reproduced among at least one system stream is determined until reproduction of an audio cell included in the one system stream is started.
  • the reproduction method includes the steps of reading a system stream to be reproduced among the at least one system stream stored on the information storing disk, and reproducing a part of the silent cell and reproducing the audio cell, from a point in the silent cell included in the read system stream.
  • the silent period includes a period required by a reproduction apparatus after one system stream to be reproduced among at least one system stream is determined until reproduction of the one system stream is started.
  • the information storing disk further includes information indicating the order of reproducing a plurality of system streams.
  • the silent period is a period to be silent, which is from when reproduction of one of the plurality of system streams is terminated until reproduction of an audio cell included in the next system stream is started.
  • the silent cell and the audio cell each include audio data encoded in an identical encode mode, and an output level of the audio data included in the silent cell is substantially zero.
  • the system stream includes a time stamp for defining output timing at a prescribed interval, a presentation period of the audio cell is determined based on a difference between a first time stamp and a final time stamp included in the audio cell, and the silent period is determined based on a difference between a first time stamp and a final time stamp included in the silent cell.
  • the invention described herein makes possible the advantages of providing an information storing disk for allowing a plurality of reproduction apparatuses having different levels of performance, such as data processing speed, to have an equal wait time (start-up period) before the reproduction of a system steam starts, and an apparatus and a method for reproducing the system stream from the information storing disk.
  • Figure 1 shows a data structure of a system stream 210 in conformity with the MPEG format.
  • An optical disk can include at least one system stream 210 stored thereon.
  • the system stream 210 can include a plurality of elementary streams.
  • the elementary streams are classified into a video elementary stream for storing moving picture information and an audio elementary stream for storing audio information.
  • Each of the plurality of elementary streams is divided into a plurality of packs.
  • Each of the plurality of packs has a length of 2 Kbytes.
  • the system stream 210 is formed of one audio elementary stream.
  • the system stream 210 includes a plurality of audio packs 220 .
  • the plurality of audio packs 220 are respectively represented by denotations A1 through A14 .
  • Each of the plurality of audio packs 220 includes a pack header 222 , a packet header 224 and a data field 226 .
  • pack header 222 data in conformity with the MPEG format such as, for example, a pack start code, an SCR (System Clock Reference) and an MUX (multiplex) rate are described.
  • the packet header 224 includes an area for storing a DTS (Decoding Time Stamp) which defines decoding timing of data as required by the MPEG format, but such an area is not used for audio elementary stream.
  • DTS Decoding Time Stamp
  • the stream ID described in the packet header 224 is a code indicating the type of data stored in the data field 226 .
  • code "10111101" is described in the packet header 224 as the stream ID.
  • a sub stream ID is described in the first eight bits of the data field 226 .
  • the upper five bits of the eight bits of the sub stream ID indicate an encode type.
  • the encode format can be LPCM, AC3, DTS, or the like.
  • the lower three bits of the eight bits of the sub stream ID indicate an identification number of the sub stream.
  • the identification number is any one of 0 through 7.
  • a system stream can include a maximum of 8 audio elementary streams. The maximum of 8 audio elementary streams can be identified using the identification numbers.
  • the SCR in the pack header 222 and the PTS in the packet header 224 are used for adjusting the synchronization between decoding of the audio pack and decoding of a sub video pack.
  • Figure 2A shows the relationship between the system stream 210 including the plurality of audio packs A1 through A6 , and the SCR and the PTS included in each of the audio packs A1 through A6 .
  • the reproduction apparatus When a reproduction apparatus reproduces the system stream 210 stored on the optical disk, the reproduction apparatus sets the SCR included in the leading audio pack A1 in the system stream 210 as an initial value of an STC (System Time Clock), which is a reference clock. Then, the reproduction apparatus inputs the audio packs A2 through A6 following the audio pack A1 to a decoder at the timing indicated by the SCR with reference to the STC. The decoder decodes the input audio packs. The decoded audio packs are externally output from the decoder at the timing indicated by the PTS.
  • STC System Time Clock
  • the present inventors analyzed problems which can occur when high quality audio data is reproduced using the data structure of the system stream shown in Figure 1 and the reproduction method shown in Figure 2A . The results of analysis will be described below.
  • the timing for initiating the STC should be a point of attention.
  • the STC is reset when the leading audio pack A1 in the system stream 210 is reproduced.
  • a wait time for preparing for the reproduction is required. Since the wait time varies in accordance with the processing capability of the reproduction apparatus used, the time for reproducing the leading audio pack A1 varies in accordance with the type of reproduction apparatus. As a result, the time for resetting the STC also undesirably varies in accordance with the type of reproduction apparatus.
  • Reproduction of information stored on an optical disk requires a wait time from when one system stream to be reproduced among one or more system steams stored on the optical disk is determined until the reproduction of the one system stream is started.
  • the wait time varies in accordance with the capability of the reproduction apparatus, and generally tends to be shorter in higher-level apparatuses and longer in lower-level apparatuses.
  • the wait time is also referred to as the "start-up period".
  • the start-up period includes time period T s , time period T c , and time period T m .
  • Time period T s is a period required for the reproduction apparatus to seek to a position, on the optical disk, storing the audio data.
  • Time period T c is a period from when the audio data is input to a decoder until the decoded audio data is output from the decoder.
  • Time period T c includes a period for adjusting output timing of a system stream with reference to a PTS included in the system stream and a period for examining whether or not the audio data included in the system stream is correct.
  • time period T c is a period for transition of a muting circuit in an analog output section from a mute state to a non-mute state.
  • a plurality of reproduction apparatuses having different levels of performance, such as data processing speed, have different start-up periods because time period T s , time period T c , and time period T m vary in accordance with the type of reproduction apparatus.
  • time period T s (seek period) of several ten milliseconds to about 500 milliseconds.
  • time period T s depends on, for example, the torque of a motor for rotating the optical disk mounted on the reproduction apparatus. Accordingly, there can be reproduction apparatuses having time period T s of a maximum of several seconds. As can be appreciated from these values, time period T s varies by the order of several hundred milliseconds in accordance with the type of reproduction apparatus.
  • Time period T c depends on the algorithm adopted by the reproduction apparatus for decoding. Time period T c varies by the order of several hundred milliseconds in accordance with the type of adopted algorithm.
  • Time period T m also varies by the order of several hundred milliseconds in accordance with the performance of the circuit mounted on the reproduction apparatus.
  • Figure 2B shows the timing for starting the reproduction of the same system stream 210 in two reproduction apparatuses #1 and #2 of different types.
  • Reproduction apparatus #1 has a lower level of performance than that of reproduction apparatus #2. Reproduction of the system stream 210 by reproduction apparatus #1 requires a longer start-up period than reproduction of the system stream 210 by reproduction apparatus #2. In other words, start-up period #1 > start-up period #2.
  • reproduction apparatus #1 after start-up period #1, the STC is reset based on the SCR of the leading audio pack A1 at time a2. As a result, the reproduction of the system stream 210 starts at time a2.
  • reproduction apparatus #2 after start-up period #2, the STC is reset based on the SCR of the leading audio pack A1 at time a1. As a result, the reproduction of the system stream 210 starts at time a1.
  • time a2 when the reproduction apparatus #1 starts the reproduction of the leading audio pack A1 in the system stream 210 corresponds to a time when the reproduction apparatus #2 starts the reproduction of the fifth audio pack A5 in the system stream 210 .
  • a data structure of a system stream and a method for reproducing the system stream according to the present invention will be described.
  • a data structure of a system stream and a method for reproducing the system stream according to the present invention are suitable for reproducing high quality audio data.
  • Figure 3 shows a data structure of a system stream 310 stored on an optical disk in a first example according to the present invention.
  • the system stream 310 is formed of one audio elementary stream.
  • the system stream 310 includes a silent cell 312 for defining a silent period and an audio cell 314 for defining the audio data to be reproduced after the silent period.
  • the silent cell 312 and the audio cell 314 each include a plurality of audio packs 320 .
  • the silent period is defined as a period to be silent, which is from when one system stream 310 to be reproduced among at least one system stream 310 is determined until the reproduction of an audio cell 314 included in the one system stream 310 is started.
  • the silent period is defined as a period to be silent, which is from when the reproduction of one of the plurality of system streams is terminated until the reproduction of an audio cell included in the next system stream is started.
  • the silent cell 312 includes audio packs S1 through S8
  • the audio cell 314 includes audio packs A1 through A14
  • the data structure of the audio packs S1 through S8 and the data structure of the audio packs A1 through A14 are identical with the data structure of the audio pack 220 shown in Figure 1 .
  • the silent cell 312 can include N-piece audio packs
  • the audio cell 314 can include M-piece audio packs. N and M are each an arbitrary integer one or greater.
  • the audio data contained in the audio packs S1 through S8 and the audio data contained in the audio packs A1 through A14 are encoded in an identical encoding mode since the silent cell 312 and the audio cell 314 are included in one MPEG stream.
  • the identical encoding mode refers to that all the encoding attributes such as encode format (e.g., LPCM, AC3) and sampling rate are identical.
  • the output level of the audio data contained in the audio packs S1 through S8 is substantially zero.
  • audio data which substantially represents silence when being output is stored in the silent cell 312 . It is not essential for defining the silent period that the output level of the audio data stored in the silent cell 312 is substantially zero. As described below, even when the audio data stored in the silent cell 312 is not substantially zero, silence can be realized during the silent period by controlling a muting circuit.
  • the PTS contained in each of the audio packs A1 through A14 of the audio cell 314 defines the timing for outputting the decoded audio packs from the decoder. Accordingly, the difference between the PTS contained in the leading audio pack A1 of the audio cell 314 and the PTS contained in the final audio pack A14 of the audio cell 314 nearly equals to a presentation period of the audio cell 314 . Thus, the presentation period of the audio cell 314 is determined based on the difference between the first PTS and the final PTS in the audio cell 314 .
  • the PTS contained in each of the audio packs S1 through S8 of the silent cell 312 defines the timing for outputting the decoded audio packs from the decoder.
  • the PTS in each of the audio packs S1 through S8 does not define a presentation period of the silent cell 312 but defines the silent period before starting the reproduction of the system stream 310 including the silent cell 312 . Accordingly, the difference between the PTS contained in the leading audio pack S1 of the silent cell 312 and the PTS contained in the first audio pack A1 of the audio cell 314 continued after the silent cell 312 equals to the silent period of the system stream 310 .
  • the silent period of the system stream 310 is determined based on the difference between the first PTS in the silent cell 312 and the first PTS in the audio cell 314 continued after the silent cell 312 .
  • the silent period of the system stream 310 defined by the silent cell 312 is utilized by the reproduction apparatus as the period for absorbing a variation in the start-up period which depends on the type of reproduction apparatus.
  • the length of the silent period is predetermined so as to include the start-up period.
  • the length of the silent period is predetermined so as to include the longest start-up period of the start-up periods of the reproduction apparatuses which can be produced in conformity with the MPEG format.
  • the start-up period of the reproduction apparatus is precalculated. For example, seek period T s is calculated from the seek distance. Time period T c and time period T m are fixed with respect to each reproduction apparatus. Accordingly, the start-up period of the reproduction apparatus is calculated as the sum of seek period T s , time period T c and time period T m .
  • Figure 4A shows the relationship between the system stream 310 including the plurality of audio packs S1 through S8 and A1 through A14 , and the SCR and the PTS included in each of the plurality of audio packs S1 through S8 and A1 through A14 .
  • the reproduction apparatus When a reproduction apparatus reproduces the system stream 310 stored on the optical disk, the reproduction apparatus sets the SCR included in the leading audio pack S1 of the silent cell 312 as an initial value of an STC (system time clock), which is a reference clock. Then, the reproduction apparatus inputs the audio packs S2 through S8 and A1 through A14 following the audio pack S1 to a decoder at the timing indicated by the SCR with reference to the STC. The decoder decodes the input audio packs. The decoded audio packs are externally output from the decoder at the timing indicated by the PTS.
  • STC system time clock
  • Figure 4B shows the timing for starting the reproduction of the same system stream 310 in two reproduction apparatuses #1 and #2 of different types.
  • Reproduction apparatus #1 has a lower level of performance than that of reproduction apparatus #2. Reproduction of the system stream 310 by reproduction apparatus #1 requires a longer time period T s than reproduction of the system stream 310 by reproduction apparatus #2. In other words, time period T s #1 > time period T s #2.
  • Reproduction apparatus #1 is controlled so that the reproduction of the system stream 310 starts at time t2 after time period T s #1.
  • the first audio pack among the audio packs having an SCR of a larger value than that of time t2 is audio pack S6 .
  • the STC is reset based on the SCR of the sixth audio pack S6 of the silent cell 312 .
  • the decoding of the audio data starts from some point in the silent cell 312 , so that audio data is allowed to be output after time period T c #1.
  • time period T m #1 starts at time t3.
  • the muting circuit is controlled to be transitioned from the mute state to the non-mute state.
  • time k when time period T m #1 terminates, the muting circuit is in the non-mute state. Accordingly, the audio data of the audio packs A1 through A14 reproduced from time k is output.
  • Reproduction apparatus #2 is controlled so that the reproduction of the system stream 310 starts at time t1 after time period T c #2.
  • the first audio pack among the audio packs having an SCR of a larger value than that of time t1 is audio pack S3 .
  • the STC is reset based on the SCR of the third audio pack S3 of the silent cell 312 .
  • the decoding of the audio data starts from some point in the silent cell 312 , so that audio data is allowed to be output after time period T c #2.
  • reproduction apparatus #2 even though the audio data is decoded, the audio data is not output before time t4, since the muting circuit is in the mute state before time t4.
  • Time period T m #2 starts at time t4.
  • the muting circuit is controlled to be transitioned from the mute state to the non-mute state.
  • time k when time period T m #2 terminates, the muting circuit is in the non-mute state. Accordingly, the audio data of the audio packs A1 through A14 reproduced from time k is output.
  • reproduction apparatus #1 reproduction starts from the audio pack S6 of the silent cell 312 ; whereas in reproduction apparatus #2, reproduction starts from the audio pack S3 of the silent cell 312 .
  • audio output is suppressed during the silent period.
  • the silent period of the system stream 310 can always be the same regardless of the type of reproduction apparatus.
  • audio output during the silent period can be prevented by setting the audio data contained in each of the audio packs S1 through S8 of the silent cell 312 to substantially zero. During the period in which the silent cell 312 is reproduced, the audio output can be suppressed regardless of the operating state of the muting circuit.
  • Figure 5 shows a structure of a reproduction apparatus 400 in the first example according to the present invention.
  • An optical disk 410 includes at least one system stream 310 ( Figure 3 ) stored thereon.
  • the reproduction apparatus 400 reproduces at least one system stream 310 stored on the optical disk 410 .
  • the structure of the system stream 310 is as shown in Figure 3 .
  • the optical disk 410 an arbitrary information storing medium can be used.
  • the optical disk 410 can be a DVD.
  • the reproduction apparatus 400 includes a reading section 420 for reading the system stream 310 to be reproduced among the at least one system stream 310 , and a reproduction section 430 for reproducing a part of the silent cell 312 and the audio cell 314 from some point in the system stream 310 read by the reading section 420 .
  • the reproduction section 430 includes a decoder 432 for decoding the system stream 310 , an output section 434 for outputting the decoded system stream 310 , and a muting circuit 436 for determining whether or not the output of the audio data needs to be muted.
  • the operation of the reading section 420 and the operation of the reproduction section 430 are controlled by a control section 438 .
  • Time period T s required for the reproduction apparatus 400 to seek to the position on the optical disk 410 at which the audio data is stored, time period T c from when the audio data is input to the decoder 432 until the decoded audio data is output from the decoder 432 , and time period T m for transition of the muting circuit 436 from the mute state to the non-mute state are assumed to be pre-calculated. It is also assumed that the silent period is defined so as to include time period T s , time period T c and time period T m by the silent cell 312 of the system stream 310 stored on the optical disk 410 . Such assumptions are possible as described above.
  • the reading section 420 reads the system stream 310 to be reproduced among the at least one system stream 310 stored on the optical disk 410 in response to an instruction from the control section 438 .
  • the system stream 310 to be reproduced is selected by, for example, the user. Such selection is performed by, for example, selecting a desired item from the menu displayed on a TV (not shown) connected to the reproduction apparatus 400 .
  • the system stream 310 to be reproduced can be automatically determined by the reproduction apparatus 400 . Such automatic determination is executed by a program executed by the control section 438 of the reproduction apparatus 400 .
  • the control section 438 compares the SCR and seek period T s of each of the audio packs S1 through S8 included in the silent cell 312 of the system stream 310 read by the reading section 420 , thereby determining the first audio pack among the audio packs having an SCR of a larger value than a value indicating the termination time of seek period T s (e.g., audio pack A6 ).
  • the control section 438 resets the STC based on the SCR of the audio pack A6 .
  • the audio stream 310 is input to the decoder 432 from the audio pack A6 located at some point in the silent cell 312 .
  • the decoder 432 decodes the input audio packs.
  • the audio packs decoded by the decoder 432 are output from the decoder 432 in accordance with the output timing defined by the PTS of each of the audio packs.
  • the time when the decoded audio pack is output generally is the time when time period T c has been passed after time period T s is terminated.
  • the output section 434 outputs the audio data included in the decoded audio packs.
  • the muting circuit 436 determines whether or not the audio data output from the outputs section 434 needs to be muted.
  • the control section 438 controls the muting circuit 436 to mute the audio data output from the output section 434 until the start of time period T m and controls the muting circuit 436 to be transitioned from the mute state to the non-mute state during time periods T m .
  • audio output is suppressed during the silent period of the system stream 310 .
  • the silent period defined by the silent cell 312 is defined so as to absorb the start-up period which is inherent to reproduction apparatuses. Accordingly, even when the system stream 310 is reproduced by a reproduction apparatus other than the reproduction apparatus 400 , audio output is suppressed during the silent period of the system stream 310 .
  • a multimedia information storing medium in a second example according to the present invention will be described.
  • Figure 6A shows an external appearance of a DVD 107 , which is a multimedia optical disk.
  • Figure 6B shows a cross-section of the DVD 107 taken along line A-A' in Figure 6A .
  • Figure 6C is an enlarged cross-sectional view of portion B shown in Figure 6B .
  • the DVD 107 is formed by sequentially laminating a first transparent substrate 108 , an information layer 109 , an adhesive layer 110 , a second transparent substrate 111 , and a print layer 112 on which a label is to be printed in this order.
  • the first transparent substrate 108 and the second transparent substrate 111 are reinforcement substrates formed of the same material.
  • these substrates each have a thickness of about 0.6 mm.
  • These substrates can each have a thickness in the range between about 0.5 mm and about 0.7 mm.
  • the adhesive layer 110 is provided between the information layer 109 and the second transparent substrate 111 in order to adhere the information layer 109 to the second transparent substrate 111 .
  • a reflective film (not shown) formed of a thin metal film or the like.
  • Figure 6D shows the shapes of pits formed in the reflective film.
  • each pit has a length of 0.4 ⁇ m to 2.054 ⁇ m.
  • a spiral track is formed in the DVD 107 .
  • the pits are formed alongside the spiral track so as to be at a distance of 0.74 ⁇ m from the spiral track in a radial direction of the DVD 107 .
  • an array of pits are formed along the spiral track.
  • a light spot 114 is formed on the information layer 109 as shown in Figure 6C .
  • the information stored on the DVD 107 is detected as variation in the reflectance of the portion of the information layer 119 which is illuminated by the light spot 114 .
  • the diameter of the light spot 114 of the DVD 107 is about 1/1.6 times the diameter of a light spot on a CD and because the numerical aperture (NA) of an object lens for DVDs is larger than the numerical aperture of an object lens for compact disks and because the wavelength ⁇ of a light beam for DVDs is shorter than the wavelength ⁇ of a light beam for CDs.
  • NA numerical aperture
  • a DVD having the above-described physical structure can store about 4.7 Gbytes of information on one side.
  • a storing capacity of about 4.7 Gbytes is nearly 8 times the storing capacity of a conventional CD.
  • Such a large storing capacity of DVDs can greatly improve the quality of moving pictures and also greatly extend the reproducible time period of moving pictures.
  • the reproducible time period of a conventional video CD is 74 minutes
  • a DVD boasts of a reproducible time period of 2 hours or more.
  • the fundamental technology which realizes such a large storing capacity lies in reduction of the spot diameter D of a lights beam.
  • the strength of the transparent substrate is reinforced by attaching another substrate to the transparent substrate, thereby overcoming the problems associated with the mechanical strength of the disk.
  • a red semiconductor laser having a short wavelength of 650 nm and an object lens having a large numerical aperture (NA) of about 0.6 mm are used to read the information stored on a DVD.
  • NA numerical aperture
  • Figure 7A schematically illustrates a spiral track 20 formed from the inner periphery toward the outer periphery of the information layer 109 of the DVD 107 .
  • the spiral track 20 is divided into prescribed units referred to as sectors.
  • the respective sectors are represented by denotations S1 , S2 , ..., S99 , and S100 .
  • the information stored on the DVD 100 is read on a sector-by-sector basis.
  • Figure 7B shows an internal structure of a sector, where the sector includes a sector header region 21 , a user data region 22 , and an error correction code storage region 23 .
  • the sector header region 21 stores a sector address for identifying the sector and an error detection code thereof. Based on these sector addresses, a disk reproduction apparatus determines one of a plurality of sectors from which information should be read.
  • the user data region 22 stores a 2 Kbyte long data string.
  • the error correction code storage region 23 stores error correction codes for the sector header region 21 and the user data region 22 included in the same sector.
  • a disk reproduction apparatus performs error detection by using the error correction codes and performs error correction based on the error detection results, thereby securing reliability of data reading.
  • Figure 8 shows a logical structure of the DVD 107 .
  • the region of the DVD 107 is divided into a lead-in region 31 , a volume region 32 , and a lead-out region 33 .
  • These regions can be identified by identification information included in sector addresses of physical sectors.
  • the physical sectors are arrayed in an ascending order based on their sector addresses.
  • the lead-out region 33 is used for informing the disk reproduction apparatus of the termination of reproduction.
  • the volume region 32 stores digital data corresponding to an application.
  • the physical sectors included in the volume region 32 are managed as logical blocks.
  • the logical blocks are identified by the sequential numbers (logical block numbers) respectively assigned to the physical sectors after the first physical sector (designated as the 0th physical sector) in the volume region 32 .
  • the volume region 32 is subdivided into a volume file management region 32a and an audio zone region 32c .
  • the volume file management region 32a stores file system management information for managing a plurality of logical blocks as files in accordance with ISO13346.
  • the file system management information is information indicating the correspondence between the name of each of a plurality of files and the addresses of the logical blocks occupied by that file.
  • a disk reproduction apparatus achieves file-by-file access to the optical disk based on the file system management information. Specifically, the disk reproduction apparatus refers to the file system management information to obtain the addresses of the logical blocks corresponding to a given file name, and accesses the logical blocks based on these addresses. As a result, the digital data contained in a desired file can be read.
  • the audio zone region 32c stores audio manager 900 and one or more audio title sets 800 .
  • the audio title set 800 contains a plurality of pieces of audio data and management information for managing the order of reproducing the plurality of pieces of audio data.
  • the audio title set 800 has a data structure which allows for management of the audio data in units which are referred to as audio titles.
  • an audio title corresponds to a music album containing one or more tunes.
  • the audio zone region 32c stores audio manager 900 and one or more audio title sets 800 .
  • FIG 10 shows a data structure of the audio title set 800 .
  • the audio title set 800 includes a plurality of audio objects (hereinafter, referred to as "AOBs") 802 , audio title set information (ATSI) 801 for managing the order of reproducing the plurality of AOBs 802 , and audio title set information backup (ATSI_BUP) 804 which is backup data of the audio title set information 801 .
  • AOBs audio objects
  • ATSI_BUP audio title set information backup
  • the AOB 802 is packetized into 2Kbytes.
  • the AOB 802 stores data in the LPCM format, AC3 format, MPEG Audio format (see ISO/IEC DIS 13818-3: July, 1996), DTS format (see DTS Coherent Acoustics "Delivering high quality multichannel sound to the consumer" presented at the 100th Convention, 1996 May 11-14, Copenhagen AES) or SDDS format (see SDDS Specification for Disc (Version 1.0)-Digital audio multi-channel coding, Sony Corporation).
  • the sample bit is 16, 20, or 24 bits, with a sampling frequency of 48 kHz, 96 kHz, 192 kHz, 44.1 kHz, 88.2 kHz, or 176.4 kHz.
  • the audio title set information (ATSI) 801 includes information for managing the order of reproducing the AOBs 802 .
  • the order of reproducing the AOBs 802 is designated by a program chain (PGC), as in the case of video objects (VOBs).
  • PGC program chain
  • VOBs video objects
  • Different PGCs can define different orders of reproduction of AOBs.
  • the audio title set information (ATSI) 801 includes an ATS management table (ATSI_MAT) 811 and a PGC management information table (ATS_PGCIT) 812 .
  • the ATS management table 811 serves as header information of the audio title set information 801 .
  • the ATS management table 811 includes a pointer indicating a region in which the AOB 802 is stored, a pointer indicating a region in which the PGC management information table 812 is stored, and attribute information on the AOB 802 .
  • the ATS management table 811 also includes attribute information and the like of the still picture.
  • the PGC management information table (ATS_PGCIT) 812 includes ATS PGC information table information (ATS_PGCITI) 831 , a plurality of ATS PGC information search pointers (ATS_PGCI_SRPs) 832 , and a plurality of PGC information (ATS_PGCI) units 833 .
  • the ATS PGC information search pointers (ATS_PGCI_SRPs) 832 are indices for a plurality of PGCs stored in the PGC management information table 812 and designate the PGC information to be executed first on a title-by-title basis.
  • Each of the PGC information units describes positions on the optical disk 107 where one or more audio objects and the order of reproduction thereof. Reproduction of the same audio object can be described by different PGC information.
  • the PGC information includes "ATS PGC general information (ATS_PGC_GI )", “ATS program information table (ATS_PGIT)”, and “ATS cell reproduction information table (ATS_C_PBIT)”.
  • FIG 12 shows a data structure of the PGC information.
  • ATS PGC general information (ATS_PGC_GI)
  • ATS_PGIT ATS program information table
  • ATS_C_PBIT ATS cell reproduction information table
  • the "ATS program information table (ATS_PGIT)" includes "program physical allocation information” indicating whether or not the AOB of each program and the AOB of the previous program are recorded at physically discontinuous positions on the optical disk, "program time attribute information” indicating whether or not the time information of the AOB is continuous with the time information of the previous AOB, "program start cell number” indicating the first cell number forming the program, “program still picture flag” indicating whether or not the program includes a still picture, "reproduction start audio cell time” indicating the first time information of the first audio cell included in the program, “program total reproduction time period” indicating the reproduction time period of the program, and “audio pause time period” indicating the silent period until the reproduction of the audio cell of the program starts.
  • the "ATS cell reproduction information table (ATS_C_PBIT)” stores cell information forming the AOB to be reproduced.
  • the AOB includes "cell index number” indicating the order of cells included in the program, "cell type” indicating the attribute of the cell (i.e., whether the cell is a still picture cell, a silent cell or an audio cell), "cell start address” indicating the start address of the cell in the form of a relative address with respect to the first pack of the AOB of the ATS including the cell, and "cell termination address” indicating the final address of the cell in the same manner.
  • Figure 11 shows an exemplary structure of the AOB.
  • the AOB is a part of an MPEG2 stream and includes a still picture cell including a still picture pack, a silent cell including an audio pack including substantially silent audio data, and an audio cell including an audio pack of audio data forming a tune.
  • the AOB includes one or more audio cells and may not include a still picture cell or a silent cell. Still picture cells are never continuous with each other and silent cells are never continuous with each other. A still picture cell is always followed by a silent cell or an audio cell. A silent cell is always followed by an audio cell. In the example shown in Figure 11 , audio cells and silent cells exist and are physically continuous. Time information is also continuous; i.e., the "program physical allocation information" has a value representing "continue", and the "program time attribute information" also has a value representing "continue”.
  • the line passing through points A through G represents a change in the value of the time information (i.e., PTS) of AOB.
  • Point A represents a value of the PTS of the still picture cell.
  • Point B represents a value of the first PTS of a silent cell.
  • Point C represents a value of the first PTS of an audio cell.
  • the PTS of a silent cell is continuous to the PTS of an audio cell, and there is no data underflow gap, as referred to with respect to the MPEG2 stream, between the silent cell and the audio cell.
  • Point B at which the value of the PTS of the silent cell is larger than the value of the PTS of the still picture cell, represents that a still picture in the still picture cell is displayed before the reproduction of the silent cell starts.
  • the PTS of the next still picture cell is represented by point D
  • the PTS of the next silent cell is represented by point E
  • the reproduction of the silent cell starts simultaneously when the still picture is displayed.
  • the difference between the first PTS of the next audio cell at point F and the final PTS of the audio cell at point D is an "audio pause time period". Since the gap between the PTS's needs to be 0.7 seconds or less as specified by MPEG2, the difference at point B between the first PTS of the silent cell and the PTS of the still picture cell, and the difference at point D between the first PTS of the still picture cell and the final PTS of the audio cell need to fulfill such a condition.
  • Figure 14 shows an exemplary PGC forming a title.
  • the example shown in Figure 14 includes five programs.
  • Programs #1 and #2 correspond to AOB #1
  • programs #3, #4 and #5 correspond to AOB #2.
  • On the information storing medium AOB #1 is recorded after AOB #2.
  • Programs #1 and #2 both include a still picture cell and a silent cell, and program #2 includes two audio cells.
  • Programs #3 and #4 includes only a silent cell
  • program #5 includes only an audio cell.
  • program information can be described as shown in Figure 15 .
  • the size of the still picture data is about 1.88 Mbits and the audio data is 48 kHz, 16 bit sampling with 2 channels, the number of the still picture packs is 112, the number of the silent cell packs is 96, and the number of the audio cell packs is 5760 as shown in Figure 16 .
  • the audio manager 900 is information for controlling the reproduction which is to be first referred to for performing audio-oriented reproduction of the information on the optical disk by a reproduction apparatus.
  • Figure 9 shows a data structure of the audio manager 900 .
  • the audio manager 900 includes "audio manager information (AMGI)”, “VOB for audio manager menu (AMGM_VOBS)”, and “audio manager information backup (AMGI_BUP)”.
  • AMGI audio manager information
  • AMGM_VOBS VOB for audio manager menu
  • AMGI_BUP audio manager information backup
  • audio manager information includes “audio manager information management table (AMGI_MAT)” including attribute information and pointer information, "audio title management information” indicating the number of audio titles and the like, “audio title search pointer (ATT_SRP)” indicating search information on the audio titles, and “audio manager menu PGC management information table (AMGM_PGCI_UT)” indicating PGC information for audio manager menu.
  • the "audio title search pointer (ATT_SRP)" includes "audio title type” indicating the type of each title, "number of programs in the titles” indicating the number of programs included in the titles, “title reproduction time period” indicating the reproduction time period of the titles, "ATS title number” indicating the set number of the ATS to which each title belongs, “ATS title number” indicating the title number of each title in the ATS, and “ATS address” indicating the address of the ATS to which each title belongs.
  • the audio zone region and the DVD as a multimedia optical disk have been described. Next, a reproduction apparatus according to the present invention will be described.
  • Figure 24 shows external appearances of a DVD player 1 , a TV monitor 2 and a remote controller 91 .
  • the DVD player 1 has an opening in a front face of a chassis thereof, and includes a driving mechanism for setting an optical disk in the depth direction of the opening.
  • a remote control receiving section 92 having a light receiving element for receiving infrared rays emitted by the remote controller 91 .
  • the remote control receiving section 92 sends an interrupt signal indicating that a key signal has been received.
  • a video signal reproduced from the DVD can be output to the large TV monitor 2 for home use by connecting an AV cord to the video and audio output terminals.
  • the operator can enjoy the video reproduced from the DVD on a large TV of, for example, 33 inches or 35 inches.
  • the DVD player 1 in this example is not used in the state of being connected to a personal computer but is used with the TV monitor 2 as an electronic appliance for home use.
  • the remote controller 91 includes a spring-loaded keypad on a surface of a casing thereof, and outputs a code corresponding to a pressed key by infrared rays.
  • Figure 25 shows an operation panel of the remote controller 91 .
  • the "POWER" key on the operation panel is for turning ON or OFF the DVD player 1 .
  • the "MENU” key is used for retrieving the volume menu of the optical disk during reproduction of the program chain.
  • Ten keys are used for, for example, chapter-jumping the movie or selecting music tunes. Upward, downward, leftward and rightward cursor keys are used for selecting items.
  • the "ENTER” key is used for confirming the item selected by the cursor.
  • the item on which the cursor is positioned is displayed with a select color of item color information of the management information pack.
  • the item is confirmed by the "ENTER” key, the item is displayed with a confirmation color.
  • keys which are common with other AV apparatuses such as, for example, "PLAY”, “STOP”, “PAUSE”, “FORWARD” and “REWIND” keys.
  • FIG. 13 is a block diagram of an internal structure of the DVD player.
  • the DVD player includes a driving mechanism 81 , an optical pickup 82 , a mechanism control section 83 , a signal processing section 84 , an AV decoder 85 , a remote control receiving section 92 and a system control section 93 .
  • the driving mechanism 81 includes a table on which an optical disk is set and a spindle motor for rotating the optical disk which is set on the table.
  • the table is structured to move to be in and out of the chassis by an eject mechanism not shown. When the table is out of the chassis, the operator sets an optical disk onto the table. When the optical disk is set on the table and the table is moved back to the chassis, the optical disk is loaded on the DVD player.
  • the mechanism control section 83 controls a mechanical system including the motor 81 for driving the disk and the optical pickup 82 for reading a signal recorded on the disk. Specifically, the mechanism control section 83 adjusts the motor speed in accordance with the position of the track indicated by the system control section 93 . The mechanism control section 83 also controls an actuator of the optical pickup 82 to move the optical pickup 82 . When the accurate track is detected by servo control, the mechanism control section 83 controls the optical disk to wait until a desired physical sector on the rotating optical disk reaches the position of the optical pickup 82 . Then, signals are continuously read from the desired position.
  • the signal processing section 84 processes the signal read from the optical pickup 82 with, for example, amplification, waveform shaping, binarization, demodulation, and error correction to convert the signal into a digital data stream, and then stores the resultant data stream in a buffer memory in the system control section 93 (described below) on a logical block-by-logical block basis.
  • the AV decoder 85 processes the digital data, which is an input VOB, in a prescribed manner to convert the data into a video signal or an audio signal.
  • the AV decoder 85 includes a system decoder 86 , a video decoder 87 and an audio decoder 88 .
  • the system decoder 86 receives the digital data stream transferred from the buffer memory on a logical block-by-logical block basis (i.e., on a packet-by-packet basis) and distinguishes a stream ID and a sub stream ID in the header of each packet, thereby classifying the data into a moving picture data pack, an audio data pack and a management information pack.
  • the moving picture data pack is output to the video decoder 87 .
  • the audio data pack only the audio data pack having a designated stream number is output to the audio decoder 88 in accordance with a decode stream instruction command sent from the system control section 93 .
  • the management information pack is output to the system control section 93 .
  • the moving picture data pack input to the video decoder 87 is extended by the prescribed format defined by the MPEG2 format and output as digital video data. Then, the digital video data is converted into a video signal of the NTSC format and externally output.
  • the audio data input to the audio decoder 88 is decoded in the LPCM or AC3 format in accordance with the data type, D/A converted, and then externally output as an audio signal.
  • the audio decoder 88 processes the digital data, which is an input AOB, in a prescribed manner in accordance with the data type, converts the data into an audio signal, and externally outputs the data.
  • the system control section 93 includes a working memory and a CPU integrated together and performs overall control of the DVD player.
  • the reproduction apparatus according to the present invention operates in, for example, the following manner.
  • the system control section 93 detects that the DVD is loaded from the optical sensor or the like. Then, the system control section 93 controls the mechanism control section 83 and the signal processing section 84 , thereby controlling rotation of the DVD so as to cause the optical pickup 82 to seek to the lead-in region. Thus, the DVD player is initialized and reproduction starts.
  • the system control section 93 determines whether or not the DVD player is in a video-oriented reproduction mode, by a reproduction mode determination section. When it is determined that the DVD player is in the video-oriented reproduction mode, the system control section 93 reads the video manager based on the information which is read from the volume file management region. The system control section 93 refers to the PGC management information table for the video manager menu to calculate the recording address of the PGC for the volume menu. The resultant PGC is reproduced and retained inside. When the PGC for the volume menu is retained inside, the system control section 93 refers to the retained PGC information to calculate the video object (VOB) to be reproduced and the recording address of the VOB on the optical disk.
  • VOB video object
  • the system control section 93 When the VOB to be reproduced is determined, the system control section 93 outputs a control signal to the mechanism control section 83 and the signal processing section 84 so as to retrieve the determined VOB from the DVD for reproduction.
  • the video menu from which the user can select the title to be reproduced is displayed.
  • the system control section 93 receives the designation of the item number in the menu from the remote controller and refers to the management information pack included in the VOB of the video menu which is being reproduced, the VOB being input from the AV decoder 85 , to execute a control command corresponding to the designated number.
  • the control command is PlayTitle #n or the like, and the title number to be reproduced is designated by "n".
  • the system control section 93 refers to the title search pointer table, which is a part of the audio manager, to determine the audio title set (ATS) to which the designated title belongs to and the title number in the ATS.
  • the system control section 93 outputs a control signal to the mechanism control section 83 and the signal processing section 84 so as to reproduce the ATS management information of the confirmed title set and retrieves the title search pointer table of the ATS which is a part of the ATS management information to the system control section 93 .
  • the system control section 93 refers to the table to determine the PGC information for starting the reproduction of the title to be reproduced.
  • the system control section 93 When the PGC information is determined, the system control section 93 outputs a control signal to the mechanism control section 83 and the signal processing section 84 so as to reproduce the determined PGC information and retain the information in the inside buffer memory for the PGC information.
  • the system control section 93 refers to the retained PGC information to determine the audio object (AOB) to be reproduced and the recording address thereof. Then, the AOB is reproduced by a control signal output to the mechanism control section 83 and the signal processing section 84 from the system control section 93 .
  • AOB audio object
  • the system control section 93 sequentially determines the AOBs to be reproduced and controls the reproduction thereof in accordance with the retained PGC information.
  • the system control section 93 searches for the PGC information of the next title and reproduces the AOBs described in the PGC information in the same manner.
  • the all the titles are reproduced and the operation is stopped.
  • only one title can be reproduced before the operation is stopped, or a menu can be displayed after reproduction of one or more titles is completed.
  • FIG 19 shows a conventional method for reproducing the audio cell.
  • the leading end of the audio cell pack 14 is first sought to and data reading starts.
  • audio output does not immediately start but starts after an idle time period, which is predetermined in each reproduction apparatus.
  • the idle time period includes a time period required for determining the PTS of the audio data, a time period required for determining that data is correct, and a time period required for the muting circuit in an analog output section is to be transitioned from a mute state to a non-mute state.
  • the idle time period varies in accordance with the type of reproduction apparatus. Especially when the reproduction section and the decoder are accommodated in separate chassis, the idle time period tends to be extended because determination on the PTS and the determination on the correctness of the audio data are separately performed.
  • Figures 17A and 17B show a method for reproducing only audio data without displaying a still picture even though the still picture is included.
  • Figure 17A shows the method in the case where the reproduction is performed from the leading end of the data
  • Figure 17B shows the method in the case where the reproduction is performed in continuation from the previous cell.
  • the leading pack of the silent cell is jumped to with reference to the start address of the cell information.
  • the STC which is the reference time of the decoder is set with the SCR of the leading pack of the silent cell.
  • skipping and jumping of data corresponding to a prescribed idle time period are performed with reference to the PTS of the silent cell, and the silent cell for the idle time period is reproduced. Audio output is prepared for during this period.
  • the next title number is not displayed on the display device of the reproduction apparatus, and the passage of reproduction time period is not updated.
  • audio output is started simultaneously.
  • the reproduction apparatus behaves as if the audio data is output simultaneously with the completion of the jump such as menu selection.
  • the reproduction is performed in continuation from the previous cell, a still picture pack is jumped over and a silent cell is jumped over or skipped except for the idle time period.
  • the STC which is reference for the system time
  • the interval between the completion of the audio output by the previous cell and the start of the audio output by the next cell equals the audio pause time period.
  • the counting of the STC is continued when the physical allocation information and the time attribute information both have a value indicating "continue".
  • Figures 18A and 18B show a method for producing the audio data while displaying a still picture.
  • Figure 18A shows the method in the case where the reproduction is performed from the leading end of the data
  • Figure 18B shows the method in the case where the reproduction is performed in continuation from the previous cell.
  • the pack of the still picture cell is sought to from the cell information.
  • the still picture cell is read and decoded.
  • the STC which is the reference time of the decoder, is set with the SCR of the leading pack of the still picture cell.
  • the leading pack of the silent cell is read.
  • an STC reaches an STC of the still picture cell, the still picture is displayed. The rest of the operation is the same as the operation when there is no still picture.
  • the display of the still picture can be during the processing of the silent cell, simultaneously with the start of output of the audio cell, or after the start of output of the audio cell in the range permitted by the MPEG2 format.
  • the still picture cell is read and decoded when a still picture pack is detected.
  • the silent cell is processed. Whether or not the STC is set depends on the time attribute information as in the case where there is no still picture cell.
  • the rest of the operation is the same as the operation when no still picture is displayed, except that the still picture is displayed when the STC becomes a PTS of the still picture cell and that the STC is set with the SCR of the leading pack of the still picture cell.
  • Figures 20 through 23 are flowcharts each illustrating a program.
  • the physical allocation information of the program information shows "continue” and the program previously reproduced has a program number which is smaller by one than the program number of the program to be reproduced now, seek to the reading head for the DVD is not specifically necessary.
  • the STC which is reference time for the decoder, does not need to be reset.
  • the determination of whether or not the cell is a still picture cell can be performed using the cell type in the cell information or using a still picture flag of the program information.
  • the determination of whether or not the cell is a silent cell is performed by the cell type in the cell information.
  • the determination that the cell is the final cell is performed by comparing the termination address of the cell information and the address read from the data in the DVD.
  • the completion of the reproduction of the program can be determined by the cell index of the cell information returning to zero, the cell type indicating a still picture cell or a silent cell, or the start cell number of the next program in the program information.
  • the skipping of the silent cell is performed while detecting the PTS when the silent cell is decoded or by obtaining the number of packs to be skipped based on the data rate.
  • program reproduction information including the start time and reproduction time period of each of audio data based on the reproduction start time of the leading audio data in an MPEG2 stream is recorded in the management region as a part of the reproduction control information. Accordingly, a multimedia information storing medium which realizes reproduction of high quality digital audio data and video data added thereto under a restricted bit rate can be provided. The interval between the reproduced audio data can be uniform even in low-cost reproduction apparatuses or reproduction apparatuses having no reproduction function of video data. Thus, the title creators can prepare data easily.
  • the wait time (start-up period) before the start of reproduction of an audio stream can be substantially uniform among a plurality of reproduction apparatuses having different levels of performance such as data processing speed.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Multimedia (AREA)
  • Signal Processing For Digital Recording And Reproducing (AREA)
  • Indexing, Searching, Synchronizing, And The Amount Of Synchronization Travel Of Record Carriers (AREA)
  • Television Signal Processing For Recording (AREA)
EP98119387A 1997-10-15 1998-10-14 Disque de stockage d'informations, appareil de reproduction et procédé de reproduction Expired - Lifetime EP0910082B1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP01104565A EP1126455A3 (fr) 1997-10-15 1998-10-14 Disque de stockage d'informations, appareil de reproduction et procédé de reproduction

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP28214097 1997-10-15
JP28214097 1997-10-15
JP282140/97 1997-10-15

Related Child Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP01104565A Division EP1126455A3 (fr) 1997-10-15 1998-10-14 Disque de stockage d'informations, appareil de reproduction et procédé de reproduction

Publications (3)

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EP0910082A2 true EP0910082A2 (fr) 1999-04-21
EP0910082A3 EP0910082A3 (fr) 1999-04-28
EP0910082B1 EP0910082B1 (fr) 2001-05-30

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EP01104565A Ceased EP1126455A3 (fr) 1997-10-15 1998-10-14 Disque de stockage d'informations, appareil de reproduction et procédé de reproduction
EP98119387A Expired - Lifetime EP0910082B1 (fr) 1997-10-15 1998-10-14 Disque de stockage d'informations, appareil de reproduction et procédé de reproduction

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Country Status (11)

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US (2) US6222806B1 (fr)
EP (2) EP1126455A3 (fr)
KR (1) KR100375089B1 (fr)
CN (2) CN1157728C (fr)
AU (1) AU737853B2 (fr)
BR (1) BR9813257B1 (fr)
CA (1) CA2306081C (fr)
DE (1) DE69800861T2 (fr)
MY (1) MY118158A (fr)
TW (1) TW392152B (fr)
WO (1) WO1999019870A1 (fr)

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EP0986060A1 (fr) * 1998-01-23 2000-03-15 Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba Structure de donnees audio, supports d'enregistrement et processeur
WO2000055857A1 (fr) * 1999-03-12 2000-09-21 Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. Disque optique, appareil et procede de reproduction, et support d'enregistrement
EP1058264A2 (fr) * 1999-05-31 2000-12-06 Pioneer Corporation Appareil de reproduction pour disque d'enregistrement
EP1096489A1 (fr) * 1999-04-07 2001-05-02 Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba Systeme d'enregistrement d'informations numeriques, y compris d'informations audio
EP1102270A1 (fr) * 1999-06-02 2001-05-23 Matsushita Electronics Corporation Disque optique, procede et dispositif d'enregistrement et de reproduction de donnees au moyen de ce disque
EP1126463A2 (fr) * 2000-02-19 2001-08-22 Lg Electronics Inc. Procédé pour enregistrer et reproduire des données audio sur/à partir d'un support d'enregistrement reinscriptible

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JP3383580B2 (ja) * 1998-05-15 2003-03-04 株式会社東芝 情報記憶媒体と情報記録再生装置と方法
JP4059410B2 (ja) * 1998-10-07 2008-03-12 株式会社バンダイナムコゲームス ゲーム装置及び情報記憶媒体
JP3339440B2 (ja) * 1998-12-24 2002-10-28 日本ビクター株式会社 符号化データ記録媒体
JP2001231035A (ja) * 2000-02-14 2001-08-24 Nec Corp 復号同期制御装置、復号装置、及び復号同期制御方法
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JP2003059172A (ja) * 2001-08-22 2003-02-28 Yamaha Corp ディジタルオーディオ録音再生装置
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US6738561B1 (en) 1997-11-21 2004-05-18 Victor Company Of Japan, Ltd. Recording medium and signal processing apparatus
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EP0918331A2 (fr) * 1997-11-21 1999-05-26 Victor Company of Japan, Ltd. Milieu d'enregistrement et appareil de traitement de signaux
EP0986060A1 (fr) * 1998-01-23 2000-03-15 Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba Structure de donnees audio, supports d'enregistrement et processeur
EP0986060A4 (fr) * 1998-01-23 2006-10-11 Toshiba Kk Structure de donnees audio, supports d'enregistrement et processeur
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EP1096489A4 (fr) * 1999-04-07 2003-03-05 Toshiba Kk Systeme d'enregistrement d'informations numeriques, y compris d'informations audio
US7327938B2 (en) 1999-04-07 2008-02-05 Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba System for recording digital information including audio information
EP1096489A1 (fr) * 1999-04-07 2001-05-02 Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba Systeme d'enregistrement d'informations numeriques, y compris d'informations audio
EP1058264A3 (fr) * 1999-05-31 2002-02-06 Pioneer Corporation Appareil de reproduction pour disque d'enregistrement
US6647459B1 (en) 1999-05-31 2003-11-11 Pioneer Corporation Reproducing apparatus for record disc
EP1058264A2 (fr) * 1999-05-31 2000-12-06 Pioneer Corporation Appareil de reproduction pour disque d'enregistrement
US6795383B1 (en) 1999-06-02 2004-09-21 Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. Optical disk and apparatus and method of recording and reproducing data thereof
EP1102270A4 (fr) * 1999-06-02 2002-11-20 Matsushita Electronics Corp Disque optique, procede et dispositif d'enregistrement et de reproduction de donnees au moyen de ce disque
EP1102270A1 (fr) * 1999-06-02 2001-05-23 Matsushita Electronics Corporation Disque optique, procede et dispositif d'enregistrement et de reproduction de donnees au moyen de ce disque
US7139469B2 (en) 2000-02-19 2006-11-21 Lg Electronics Inc. Method for recording and reproducing representative audio data to/from a rewritable recording medium
EP1501095A2 (fr) * 2000-02-19 2005-01-26 Lg Electronics Inc. Procédé pour enregistrer et reproduire des données audio sur/à partir d'un support d'enregistrement reinscriptible
US6766103B2 (en) 2000-02-19 2004-07-20 Lg Electronics Inc. Method for recording and reproducing representative audio data to/from a rewritable recording medium
EP1126463A3 (fr) * 2000-02-19 2002-01-09 Lg Electronics Inc. Procédé pour enregistrer et reproduire des données audio sur/à partir d'un support d'enregistrement reinscriptible
EP1126463A2 (fr) * 2000-02-19 2001-08-22 Lg Electronics Inc. Procédé pour enregistrer et reproduire des données audio sur/à partir d'un support d'enregistrement reinscriptible
EP1501095A3 (fr) * 2000-02-19 2012-07-11 LG Electronics, Inc. Procédé pour enregistrer et reproduire des données audio sur/à partir d'un support d'enregistrement reinscriptible

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE69800861T2 (de) 2002-01-17
US6222806B1 (en) 2001-04-24
DE69800861D1 (de) 2001-07-05
AU9461198A (en) 1999-05-03
EP1126455A2 (fr) 2001-08-22
CN1157728C (zh) 2004-07-14
CA2306081C (fr) 2003-06-24
BR9813257B1 (pt) 2012-09-04
KR100375089B1 (ko) 2003-03-07
TW392152B (en) 2000-06-01
CN100578643C (zh) 2010-01-06
EP0910082A3 (fr) 1999-04-28
KR20010015763A (ko) 2001-02-26
BR9813257A (pt) 2000-08-22
CN1551197A (zh) 2004-12-01
CN1276904A (zh) 2000-12-13
WO1999019870A1 (fr) 1999-04-22
EP1126455A3 (fr) 2001-09-26
AU737853B2 (en) 2001-08-30
US6392984B2 (en) 2002-05-21
EP0910082B1 (fr) 2001-05-30
CA2306081A1 (fr) 1999-04-22
US20010030920A1 (en) 2001-10-18
MY118158A (en) 2004-09-30

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